Here is a series of bike shots showing the various scooters we built and rode up to the Dragon.  If you have any questions about a particular scoot, re-post the picture and ask your questions and the owners will be proud to tell you all about it.

Here is Lancer getting ready to pour some perfectly good drinkable still cold beer into the open saddle bag of a Beemer that some guy parked in front of our room.  

Ya gotta admit, bringing a touring bike like a Beemer up to the Dragon and parking it in front of our room is sorta like asking for it -- the guy was lucky it wasn't dark yet or who knows what sort of liquid could have found its way into his saddle bag   I mean, why waste perfectly good cold drinkable beer when lots of warm reprocessed beer is readily available??

           

We did see the Beemer up on the Dragon on Sunday, BTW -- one of the Killboy types has a picture of a nameless generic white truck carefully closing in on him, getting ready to pounce.

(proof of bragging rights -- look on this page)

http://www.photoreflect.com/pr3/orderpage.aspx?pi=0HH6012F040018&po=18

(proof of bragging rights -- look on this page)

Checking in.....

I left Toymakers house on sunday and got on the highway about 5:30pm. I stopped somewhere in Pa. at 4AM and crashed in my truck at a rest area for 2 hours and then finished my ride home and arrived here at a little after noon time monday. Now when you figure that when I left toymakers I had already been up since 6am and rode about 200 miles on bike then drove 1000 miles all on 2 hours sleep. i'm kinda tired but i had to check the forum 1st thing after i got out of the shower.

The entire trip was awesome. When I left my house it was raining hard all the way to Pa. That was the last I saw of the rain untill this morning coming back. I found this cheap campground in Va. near the entrance to Skyline Drive. I later found out that it was so cheap because the bathroom and shower was last cleaned during the Truman administration. Luckily the was a nice river right there, so i bathed in the river. Thursday I got up early and headed out to ride Skyline Drive. What a ride!!! the weather was great and the views were awesome. I rode south almost all the way to the ens and then turned around and retaced the route. That was almost 200 miles and my butt knew it. Spent another night at the dueling banjo campground. Then got up and headed south to meet up with "The Hole In The Wall Gang".

I arrived at Toymakers at around noon time and Oldfeller was already there and Darrell had already been there and gone. I'll let the other guys fill in the rest of the Dragon story. I had a great time taming the dragon. I barely kept up with MMRanch but I managed. It was great meeting all of you guys and gals. Couldn't meet a nicer bunch of savages.

I still haven't unpacked the truck but when I do I'll post the few pics I took on Skyline drive.

Great Weekend!!
Great People!!!
Great Fun!!!!!

AL

Now, on the way back to Toymaker's Lancer got a wild hair up his butt and decided to let REX off the leash up on I-40.  Toymaker was the only one with near enough displacement to try to keep up with him so they went at it, just the two of them.  Vroomm ... disappearing off in the distance.

We found them waiting for us at a rest stop exit about 30 miles later letting their engines cool down, so we think they might have had themselves a good time.

They (not just the bikes) were all overheated too, so they immediately attacked the ice chests in the back of the truck for an impromptu ice water drench down.   See Al saluting the victor as Lancer attempts to get his blood pressure and body temperature back down to somewhat sane levels.



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Toymaker lost the race ....



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...... and REX is still IMPERITOUS REX of all thumpers, thanks to the extra displacement, radical cam, increased compression, final drive ratio and some other top secret tricks that Lancer won't disclose.  

Here is a couple i pics that I took  of MMRanch grilling some venison wrapped with sugar cured bacon.
I tried to make these scratch and sniff so the rest of you could have the full experience. LOL

This is a quote from the Gap news about Sunday when we were up on the Dragon.

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"It is with great sadness and regret that I must report the first fatality of 2009 on the Dragon. Said rider was traveling southbound around the 5.5mm and went off the road and down the side. The riders friend didnt know what had happened to his buddy and enlisted the local officers to try to find him. It took hours to find the rider, as there were no indicators to show anyone had wrecked. It seems that he just drove off the side of the mountain. There is speculation as to whether or not the rider had suffered some sort of medical issue just before or not. Time wil tell and I will let you know when I get the info. RIP fellow rider.

After getting home last night, I decided it was time to gear up and head out for a quick spin to wind down after a very long day. I didnt make it to the Tallassee Store and I saw flashing lights. They were waiting for the helicopter to land so they could fly a guy from GA to the hospital. Seems he didnt negotiate one of the last turns coming off the Dragon, and he took a spill. I certainly do hope that the rider is ok, and that it wasnt more serious than it seemed. Our thoughts are with you.

Time to step up on the soapbox here for all you readers that actually care about what I have to say. I can go through all the "the isnt a race track" or "ride your own ride" but thats just not good enough. Yesterday, there were no less than 7 wrecks in various places and just about all were from rider error. .... and for the record, they were all cruisers. While I respect everyones right to go where ever they want, I also think some better judgment should be used based on riding ability and experience. The Dragon is not a place for just any rider(though some think it is). This - and most of the roads around it - are all very demanding and require your undivided attention at all times. If that is something you cant give, then you have no reason being in the mountains possibly putting yourself and others in danger. Yep, motorcycling can be a great way to pass the day and share time with family and friends, but not all roads are created equal and most everyone that rides should know their place. Please people, use just a bit more common sense..... "

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In case you didn't notice it, we started off slow, adjusted and tuned our ride order a couple of times and the gave the group as a rider line up an increasing difficulty series of road challenges to tone up our riding skills  up to Dragon level prior to getting there.   Then we rested that afternoon, ate and slept well then rode the Dragon seriously the next morning when we were all fresh.

None of ours ever got ruffled on a day that killed two and maimed 7 who simply showed up all fat dumb and happy and then ran slam off the road.

MMranch, I and Bigzuk Hit it hard Friday afternoon then we found savagedml,

Saturday morning we all 4 headed out and did the Cherohola (sp?) skyway/ dragon loop about 3.5 to 4 hours around 120 miles of Mtn top riding......... then when we got back to the resort there you guys were.

Yep..... she was pretty torn up about the " no cell service" but all is well now. Have to go on a date to make up

besides I have ta go, I ride the only beer truck untill you guys showed up with the 4 wheel version